It’s been a little while since I reviewed the first episode of Renegade Kid’s homage to Nintendo’s beloved Metroid Prime, Moon Chronicles. In the previous episode we were left with a cliffhanger of us entering another hatch. This is where episode 2 picks right back up.

Right off the bat you are searching for two keys to unlock a door. What we learn though is that these keys are actually a new gun. The gun is comparable to an assault rifle, but with alien technology and very powerful. Your clip size on the gun is decent, but you will definitely want to conserve ammo for the later half of episode 2 as the enemies and bosses become increasingly difficult.

This episode features a lot more driving in the moon buggy. There are now more enemies and land mines which in turn makes the tank controls feel slightly more dated and more difficult to navigate the maps. Thankfully the first-person action is still top notch using the stylus control style. I really wish that I had a New 3DS to try out the dual stick option, but either way the stylus controls feel natural.

Also in this episode we are introduced to “Unknown Source” hence the name of the episode. They are trying to help you but at the same time seem to be very condescending. I don’t want to spoil much of the plot but we begin to learn that there is a disconnect from what you are doing on the Moon and why you originally thought you were there. It has a very gripping and compelling story, something we don’t see much of from Nintendo 3DS games.

There are also new enemy types which are equally as dumb as the previous but pack a stronger punch. One of the chapters has a really tough boss fight, but you will get the sense of accomplishment when you finally take it down. With the new weapons to counter balance the more difficult enemies, the difficulty progresses as you do as well.

Graphically, the game still holds up to the first episode in that it is one of the best looking games I’ve seen grace Nintendo’s portable system. It runs at 60 frames per second even with the stereoscopic 3D turned on and it feels like the genre was just made for 3D gaming. I’m still shocked that there aren’t more first-person games on the handheld. The cut-scenes are still a disaster and I wish they were enhanced as well. The music from the game is atmospheric and fitting, but doesn’t have the same lasting effect as the music from Metroid, Halo or other space shooters.

The Recommendation

I’m still looking forward to finishing this great game from the team over at Renegade Kid. While driving the moon buggy required more precision thus making the tank controls feel dated, it still didn’t completely ruin the experience. It is one of the best first person experiences on Nintendo’s handheld and I can’t wait to find out through the twists and turns how Major Kane’s mission turns out in the end.